Prosthetic ligaments and instruments for use in the surgical replacement of ligaments

摘要

This invention relates to a new prosthetic ligament and a set of surgical instruments for use in the surgical replacement of a ligament and in particular for inserting a prosthetic ligament into the body. The ligament in accordance with the invention comprises an elongate foraminous flexible strip, having at one end a pouch portion capable of receiving a bone plug and including an opening through which the bone plug may be inserted into the end portion, the pouch portion also including a closure or the like to prevent escape of the bone plug in a direction away from the center of the ligament. The set of surgical instruments includes a new bone plug extractor which is adapted to sever the base of the bone plug from a host bone to allow complete separation of the bone plug.